Anion-pillared microporous material incorporated mixed-matrix fiber adsorbents for removal of trace propyne from propylene

Separation and purification of light hydrocarbons have been the critical processes for producing basic chemicals and polymers in petrochemical industry. Adsorbents with high performance are highly demanded for the separation of light hydrocarbons. However, the adsorbents filling in the packed bed when evaluated will inevitably induce reduced performance and increased pressure drop that considerably impede their application. Herein, mixed-matrix fiber adsorbents with anion-pillared hybrid microporous materials (SIFSIX-2-Cu-i) embedded within poly (ether sulfone) (PES) are constructed to enable an energy-efficient propylene/propyne separation. Owing to the sufficient binding sites and abundant channels for selective gas transfer, the fiber adsorbents achieve high C 3 H 4 uptake capacity of 0.963 mmol g −1 in the propylene/propyne (99/1) mixture breakthrough experiments. Moreover, fiber adsorbents exhibit good tolerance toward high gas velocity and show distinctively low pressure drop, which will be advantageous in industrial applications. This work provides a strategy for fabricating high-performance mixed-matrix fiber adsorbents.